Indicating device



Oct. 11, 1938. o. s. BECK INDICATING DEVICE Filed Jan. 14, 1936 0v: 6. BECK 4 m'w ii ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 11, 1938 V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

INDICATING DEVICE Ove SQBeck, Alameda, Calif as'signor of onehalf to Leroy B. Thomas, Berkeley, Calif.

Application January 14, 1936', Serial No. 59,077

10 Claims. (01. 116-134) My invention relates to indicating devices and In this case the device comprises a support 2 in particular to devices adapted to visually inpreferably formed from a relatively thin strip'of dicate and call attention of the operator to memresilient metallic material having a relatively oranda selected by him for remembrance. large backing t exposed Surface which 5 The principal object of my invention is to prois divided into a plurality of memorandum areas vide a device for indicating or pointing out items 4 within which may be written, printed or otherof information to be remembered. wise shown separate items of information which Other objects of my invention are: to provide the operator des to designate remema device of the class described'wherein selective r n e. It is to be understood that in some indesignation of memoranda, can be effe ted; to stances I may desire to extend the sides of the 10 provide, in an indicating device employing a pluu p to p v the ary me r rality of indicators, means for simultaneously areas, thus dispensing With the need of a p moving the indicators from indicating t rate backing. My invention therefore contemindicating position; and to provide an indicating plates he mp m t of ei er f rm of s r device that is simple of operation, ture for providing the memorandum areas. 15

The invention possesses numerous additional A plurality of p e DiVOtS 5 rising above the objects and advantages, some of which, together Surface of the supp 2 aire Provided and the with the foregoing, will become apparent upon e are pr f r y d p s as es sh wn i erusal of the following description of my in- F ure in two spa parallel rows adjacent vention. It is to be understood, however, that p t d s of the s pp Eaoh piv t is 20 I do not limit myself to this disclosure of the d' t s u rs 6 preferably f d y t species of invention, as I may adopt variant upturned end I of a resilient arm 8 mounted on bodiments thereof within the scope of the claims. the Support While these s y be p Referring t th dr i rately formed and then secured to the support,

Figure 1 is a plan view of an indicating device I Prefer} if the pp be made of resilient te" 5 incorporating my invention as applied to a separial, to stamp Otherwise u the arms t crat memorandum b k, from, since this will reduce manufacturing costs Figure 2 is a plan view of my indicating device. d simplify a y- Portions of the structure are shown broken away Means are provided for pe a i the to to clearly illustrate the construction and relation memorandum a as 4 to di ect a tention to such of parts, 7 items of information asimay be placed thereon.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken For Such p p I Provide an indicator 9 P in a plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2. erably of triangular s a f r each p v t- Thes Figure 4 is a fractional vertical sectional view, indicators are mounted to Swing freely on t taken in a plane indicated by'the line 4 4 of pivots from positions of indication and non-indi- 35 Figure 2. cation with reference to their associated memo- Figure 5 is a fractional vertical sectional view, r n um areas. I Wish f r h r t p n ut hat taken in a plane indicated by the line 5-5 f the disposition of weight of each indicator with Figure 2. Part of the structure is shown in elerespect to its Pivotal mounting is 110 th t unless n vation to disclose clearly the construction. rest/rained the indicator Wi l d op by wei 0f 40 Figure 6 is a perspective view of the frame for gravity toward an indicating Position W en he supporting the indicators in exposed position and device is in its normal Vertical po for returning the same to their concealed posi- In er to limit the drop of the indicators into tion positions of indication with reference to their In broadly descriptive terms, my indicating associated memorandum areas and of thereafter 45 device comprises a support on which is disposed returning the same to their non-indicating posia movable indicator. Means are provided for 'tions, I provide'm Preferably p s g a permitting movement of the indicator from a plurality of spaced fingers ll disposed in parallel normally concealed position to an exposed posirows on a frame l2 which rests on a raised shoultion andfurther means are provided for returnder l3 formed longitudinally along the central 50 ing. the exposed indicator to its concealed posi portion 0f the Support A plurality of tion. tangular shaped apertures H in the frame With reference to the preferred embodiment adapted to receive the guide members I6 formed of my invention, I have chosen, for the purpose on shoulder l3 are provided for positioning the 5 of illustration, the device shown in the drawing. frame on the shoulder, and, since the apertures is secured to a lug l9 formed on the shoulder,

and the other end to a lug 2! formed on the frame. It will be observed that when the frame is in such position, each finger H is so disposed with relation to its associated indicator that the drop of the indicator is limited by the finger to the maximum position of indication with reference to the area 4 to be pointed out. .In case the operator desires to clear the device by returning the indicators to their non-indicating positions, it is only necessary to move the frame l2 downwardly by means of the handle I], whereby the fingers will bear against the indicators to swing the same simultaneously on their pivots to their desired positions. It is obvious that when the operator releases the handle I! the spring, being under tension, will automatically return the frame and fingers to normal position.

I prefer that the indicators be normally concealed and for this purpose I provide a substantially flat plate 22 overlying the support 2 and having a plurality of apertures 23 in alignment with and through which the pivots 5 pass. The ends of the plate are bent inwardly to provide flanges 24 of sufficient width to accommodate the underlying structure, and, these flanges are in turn provided with outturned ears 26 having apertures 21 therein through which screws or other fastening means can be inserted for securing the structure to the wall of a building or other foundation support.

It will be observed (see Figure 5) that the indicators will be clamped and frictionally held in concealed position between the pivot shoulders 6 and one face of the plate ZZ-bymeans of the resilient arms 8 and that, upon flexing the arms, the indicators will be released to fall by gravity to the limit of their indicating or exposed position as determined by the fingers H. To provide for the flexure of the resilient arms I provide a plurality of tabulators 28 preferably resiliently supported by a sheet 29 mounted on plate 22. Thesetabulators overliethe exposed ends of the pivots where they project through plat'e 212 and are adapted when pressed inwardly by the'operator to move the pivots axially, whereby the arms 8 are flexed and the indicators released. Since each tabulator is separately operable to effect release of its associated indicator, selective designation of the areas to be remembered can be readily made.

Aligned apertures 3| in sheet 29, plate 22 and guide members l6 receive bolts 32 on which nuts 33 are threaded for securing the structure together in unitary assembly.

I claim:

1. An indicating device comprising a support, a plate overlying said support, a plurality of spaced indicators pivotally mounted on said supportand each movable by gravity from a concealed position beneath said plate to an exposed position adjacent an edge thereof, means for selectively releasing each of said indicators from its concealed position, means for simultaneously moving said exposed indicators to their concealed positions, and means for resiliently urging said indicators against said plate in their concealed positions.

2. An indicating device comprising a support, a plate overlying said support, a plurality of spaced indicators pivotally mounted on said support and each movable by gravity from a concealed position beneath said plate to an exposed position adjacent an edge thereof, means for resiliently urging said indicators against said plate to frictionally restrain movement thereof in their concealed positions, and means for releasing said indicators to permit gravitational movement thereof.

3. An indicating device comprising a support, a plurality of spaced indicators pivotally mounted on said support and movable by gravity from non-indicating positions to indicating positions, means for retaining said indicators in their nonindicating positions, means for selectively releasing each of said indicators for said gravitational movement from its non-indicating position to its indicating position, and means for simultaneously returning said indicators to their nonindicating positions.

l. An indicating device comprising a support, pivots having shoulders thereon disposed adjacent one face of said support, indicators disposed on said pivots, a plate disposed adjacent one end of said pivots, means for resiliently urging said pivots axially to clamp said indicators between said shoulders and said plate, and

means for moving said pivots axially to release said indicators.

5. An indicating device comprising a support, spaced pivots on said support, indicators mounted for gravitational movement on said pivots from non-indicating positions to'indicating positions, means for frictionally holding said indicators in their non-indicating positions, meansfor supporting said indicators in their indicating positions, means cooperative with said pivots for selectively releasing the indicators from said frictional holding means, and means cooperative with said supporting means for. simultaneously returning said indicators from their indicating positions to their non-indicating positions.

6. An indicating device comprising a support,

a plate spaced from and overlying a'portion of said support, a plurality of resilient arms on said support, shouldered pivots rising from said arms, indicators mounted on said pivots between said shoulders and a face of said plate, said indioators being clamped between said shoulders and said face of the plate, and means for flexing said resilient arms to release said indicators.

'7. An indicating device comprising a support, a plate spaced from and overlying a portion of said support, a plurality of resilient arms on said support, shouldered pivots rising from said arms, indicators mounted on said pivots between said shoulders and a face of said plate, said indicators being clamped between said shoulders and said face of the plate, and means overlying an end of each pivot for flexing said resilient arms to release said indicators.

8. An indicating device comprising a support, a plate spaced from and overlying a portion of said support, a plurality of resilient arms on said support, shouldered pivots rising from said arms, indicators mounted on said pivots between said shoulders and a face of said plate, said indicators being clamped between said shoulders and said face of the plate, and'resiliently mounted, manually operated means above an end of each pivot for flexing said resilient arms to release said indicators.

9. An indicating device comprising a support, a 75 plurality of resilient arms disposed on said support, a pivot disposed on each said arm, a plate overlying said support and having apertures through which said pivots project, an indicator disposed on each pivot and held in frictional contact with said plate by its associated arm, and resilient means disposed on said plate and overlying an end of each said pivot for flexing said resilient arms to release said indicators.

10. An indicating device comprising a support, a plurality of indicators disposed on said support, each movable by gravity from a concealed position to an exposed position, means for retaining said indicators in their concealed positions, means operable by external pressure in a plane perpendicular to the face of said support for selectively releasing each of said indicators for said gravitational movement, and means slidably disposed on said support for simultaneously moving said exposed indicators to their concealed positions.

OVE S. BECK. 

